Fish for beginners

[Millymollymandy]

How to tell farmed from wild salmon - the wild salmon will be ten times the price of farmed.

If you think the price is reasonable, it's farmed fish. If it looks arm-and leggish, it's wild.

The argument also applies to sea bass.

Of course, there's always the post-price test. If you taste it and wonder what all the fuss was about, it's farmed.

Sea bass is farmed too? It's my favourite fish (well that and pink dorade), and the price is definitely arm and leg but the taste is heaven - that real just come out of the sea taste! Haven't bought any since my husband was working in the corporate world though......

In fact the only fish I buy which doesn't come out of a tin from Lidl is salmon when it is on promo, then I cut it into tiny little pieces and then it is just about affordable! It tastes delicious and to be honest, I do remember buying wild salmon many years ago in London and wondering what was the big deal as it didn't taste any different.

My favourite treat is John West red salmon in a tin - tinned salmon is not available in France so it's one of those once in a blue moon buy in England treats.

[mrsflibble]

I like salmon and trout grilled the same way, with trout I get it gutted (sorry, can't do it myself though I know how ) and with the head cut off. my mumleaves the head on when she serves it too and it gives me the willies. anyway, stuff the cavity with herbs and lemon slices and bake like russ said, or I grilll it. Salmon steaks I do the same way but I chop the herbage finely, add a little oil and spread it over the slamon. I serve both with plain boiled new pots and veg.

I love cod, haddock and ling all cooked the same way: fry in a really hot pan until skin crackles, turn over, swich off pan and leave until veg is tender.

I like pollock too, but only if it's in a sauce.

[Cheezy]

Sea bass is farmed too? It's my favourite fish (well that and pink dorade), and the price is definitely arm and leg but the taste is heaven - that real just come out of the sea taste! Haven't bought any since my husband was working in the corporate world though......

[/quote]

Yep most Sea bass in the UK and Sea Bream (and thats Dorade!) is farmed. Bought some at the weekend both currently £10/Kg, a wild bass or bream would be around £20-25/Kg

I believe most bass comes from Greece and Bream comes from Holland!(or the other way round!)

You can always tell the difference between wild and farmed salmon :
1. the colour is much lighter pink for wild
2. The "snout" is much more pointed in wild (same for Sea bass)
3. The white fat layers are nearly non existent in wild
4. You will not get large sores on the surface of the skin with wild

There are some "good " organic farmed salmon they tend to be off the west coast of Ireland/Scotland in area's of high current, so the fish are always swimming, therefore are less fatty, less prone to disease, and are fed organic foods..they are a little cheaper than wild ones though!.


Oh MOH is very sensative to finding a fish bone, it puts her off and can't eat any more.
We eat fish every week, and I'm quite good now at filliting. But the secret is to get yourself a good pair of tweezers (special fish ones if you can), and pin bone. All you do is run your fingers up and down the fillet feeling for litle bones, then pull them out with the tweezers.
Bingo no bones.
Other good fish for bone free are Monkfish, fresh tuna steaks, Sword fish.

[Odsox]

My favourite treat is John West red salmon in a tin - tinned salmon is not available in France so it's one of those once in a blue moon buy in England treats.

Have you tried the Irish shop in Brest ?
When I lived in Brittany I got all my streaky rashers and Denny sausages from there.

[Ellendra]

It's the same as buying battery farmed chickens. Similar to the two for a fiver chickens, farmed salmon is cheaper than the wild stuff but it has been raised in a cruel and unnatural way, it doesn't taste as good and there are knock-on human health questions.

I've been debating the idea of raising perch, is there a way to simulate the natural environment closely enough that it wouldn't taste bad or be considered cruel?

[Ellendra]

You can always tell the difference between wild and farmed salmon :
1. the colour is much lighter pink for wild

Here in the US its the opposite, the wild ones are a deep red and the farmed are a pale pink.

[contadina]

I've been debating the idea of raising perch, is there a way to simulate the natural environment closely enough that it wouldn't taste bad or be considered cruel?

Absolutely Ellendra. Freshwater fish-farming does not seem to cause the same damage to the environment and fish. So long as you recreate natural environment, don't overstock and treat your perch with hormones, antibiotics or pesticides this can be a viable and sustainable farming option.

[gdb]

here's how to eat sardines for those who DONT like them:

buy a tin of sardines. preferably in olive oil - (if theyre in anything else drain it off and add olive oil).
add some finely chopped garlic.
a bit of good quality salt - preferably the stuff with herbs in.

bung the lot into a jug (it's better if you have a mortar and pestle) and give the lot a really good pounding.

then - and this is the key - add a capful of walnut vinegar. (has to be walnut vinegar!)

give it another good pounding.

serve it on toast and pretend you are in the south of france whilst you eat it.

takes ten minutes to make and there is NO finer food on the planet (and i dont like sardines!)